Evidence of Learning Assessment #4 

Student: ​Maansi Chodavarapu 

Mentor Name:​ Ms. Laurie Pertile 

Profession:​ Investment Adviser Representative 

Business Name:​ Clark Financial Group Inc. 

Date of Mentor Meeting:​ Tuesday, January 29, 2019 

Time:​ 3:30 p.m. 

Analysis: 

I walked into my first mentor meeting this past week overwhelmed by 

conflicting emotions. I was excited and eager to start this new part of my ISM journey, 

but was worried about my original work. I had numerous varying ideas that I did not 

know how to consolidate: I wanted to help the community, deliver a presentation, and 

create a website. In all honesty, I was hesitant of how well I would get along with my 

mentor. As a natural introvert, building meaningful relationships is difficult for me 

since I tend to shy away. However, she took this meeting to answer any questions and 

allow me to get comfortable with her work environment, which extinguished all of my 

nervousness I initially had. We discussed the details of my original product, some 

concepts to include in the product, and the basics of proper budgeting. 

When we sat down at the conference table in her room, Ms. Pertile asked me 

what my goal was for this mentorship. I explained the concept of original work and 

conveyed my various ideas to her. She loved how I wanted to give back to my 
community because she is passionate about humanitarian efforts. Suddenly, I saw a 

poster for an upcoming investments seminar and a lightbulb went off in my head. 

During Winter Showcase, I noticed that an overwhelming number of parents who 

visited my booth had one overarching concern: how to teach their kids the value of 

money. Furthermore, I watched a ted talk for my previous evidence of learning which 

revealed growing concerns of the lack of financial literacy in this rising generation. 

Using these observations, I decided that for my original work, I plan to execute a boot 

camp for the younger generation that educates them on the basics of proper financing. 

Since this was too vague, my mentor and I debated about different target audiences but 

settled on middle school students. We believed that they were old enough to 

understand the repercussions of not budgeting, but still young enough to easily capture 

their attention. 

Besides identifying my idea for original work, Ms. Pertile and I brainstormed 

different concepts that I could explain to the children. Since the boot camp targets 

middle school children, our number one concern was to teach the concepts in a simple 

way that did not overwhelm the students. We wanted the kids to first realize that there 

is a monetary system in the United States and that it was not their parents. Today’s 

youth often mistaken money as coming from their parents and not from their hard 

work. Being able to open their eyes to how their parents had to work for their money 

could create a humbling effect on the otherwise consumerist generation. 

Complementing this topic would be a discussion about other monetary systems around 

the world. I could gather different types of currencies and show them to the kids to 
pique their curiosity. I remember that as kids, my cousins and I loved to collect 

different currencies and put them in a scrapbook, which we even add to today. And 

lastly, Ms. Pertile expressed her interest in having me discuss careers in Finance. 

When we ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, we almost never anything 

in the Finance field. My mentor wants me to show the students that Finance is a viable 

and thriving career path. This would allow kids who enjoyed the camp to further 

research the field and even become a Finance professional in the future.   

The most important topic that my mentor wants me to teach is how to budget 

effectively. Since most parents asked me this question during Winter Showcase, I 

decided to make this the main concept taught in the camp. During our meeting, Ms. 

Pertile described to me that our purchases are categorized as either essential or 

discretionary. Essential items are necessary to spend on, like car payments, utility 

bills, and important groceries like bread and milk. On the other hand, discretionary 

purchases are unnecessary but desired items. To rationally use that money, she 

advised me to split up my discretionary funds into three baskets: spending, saving, and 

charity. While the spending category will go to actually buying discretionary items, the 

saving section should be put into an investment vehicle. Most people don’t realize the 

time value of money. If you put 10,000 dollars into a savings account by the time you 

are twenty-four, that money will become a million by your retirement due to interest. 

Lastly, charity money should be used to give back to the community. Ms. Pertile 

believes that aiding a person in need is extremely satisfying and fulfilling. She also sees 
this bucket as instilling a charitable mindset in the youth, which is important 

considering the increasingly consumerist mindset. 

During my first mentor meeting, Ms. Pertile and I discussed ideas for my 

original product, concepts to include in the product, and the basics of proper 

budgeting. Walking out of the meeting, I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement 

because my nervousness about my product diminished. I also see community service 

as a way to use your knowledge for the benefit of society. Especially since my younger 

sister is in middle school, this program establishes a personal connection between me 

and my potential audience. In addition, our discussion of the timeline for original 

product left me feeling prepared to tackle this last semester in ISM as I had 

checkpoints and a clear vision of the end. I believe that planning and executing a boot 

camp will allow me to truly test my understanding of basic financial knowledge and my 

growth as a presenter. I will also need to learn how to effectively market myself and 

the camp to instill a sense of trust in my audience. Most importantly, I hope that 

working on my original product with my mentor will give me a taste of entrepreneurial 

spirit as this process will mimic starting up a company. Although I have my work cut 

out for me to present a successful product, I am truly thrilled to start this semester 

under the guidance of Ms. Pertile.